Breakfast Links – February 11, 2022

Houston, it only took all week but it’s finally Friday! (That’s my dad joke for the day, ha!) There is a match at PNC Stadium this weekend as we get closer to MLS and NWSL regular seasons starting soon. Without further ado here are some Breakfast Links.

Houston

Houston Dynamo FC will be playing against Austin FC Saturday night, even though it is only a preseason game, surely it will be a great rivalry match. Last year, the friendly fixture was a heated one for both Texas clubs.

Houston Dynamo announced the signing of free agent Brazilian defender Zeca. He has played right and left back for some of the biggest clubs in his home country including Santos FC, Internacional, Esporte Clube Bahia, and Vasco da Gama. He is the first Olympic Gold Medalist for the Dynamo joining a few on the Dash roster.

Speaking about the ladies, the Houston Dash will travel to Mexico City to take on Pumas Femenil in a preseason friendly on March 2. That should be a fun matchup.

MLS

The Galaxy officially announced the arrival of Brazilian winger Douglas Costa. He will be on loan for six months but has already agreed to a deal that would keep him in LA until 2023, once his loan and contract with Juventus expires in the summer.

In an intriguing move, LAFC acquired a very good left back in Ryan Hollingshead, while FC Dallas picked up a young left back in Marco Farfán, via trade. Time will tell who got the better deal by the swap.

The Portland Timbers terminated the contract of Andy Polo after domestic abuse allegations.

“We deeply regret not suspending Polo immediately, especially considering the troubling new details of abuse that surfaced this week. It was a failure on our part, and one that will never happen again.” the Timbers said in a release.

Around the World

The race to be in the top four is getting wild in the EPL. Arsenal pulled off a win against Wolves, despite playing a man down for most of the second half after Gabriel Martinelli was sent off. Arsenal are now 1 point away from West Ham who currently sit in fourth place.

Manchester City has been top of the table for what seems like forever. Liverpool, who beat Leicester yesterday 2-0, is the only club close enough to threaten the Citizens and are now 9 points away from 1st place.

The 2022 FIFA Club World Cup Final is set, and it’s another UEFA Champions League winner versus Copa Libertadores winner match up. Chelsea and Palmeiras will face off Saturday at 10:30 AM CT to see who the best club team in the world is.